Bengals (1-3) at Cardinals (1-3)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
TV: Fox
Spread (BetMGM):
Bengals by 3
Bengals’ keys to victory: The Bengals can’t afford another terrible game offensively. In four games, they have failed to reach 300 total yards three times. RB Joe Mixon will need to be the focal point of the offense against a depleted Cardinals defensive line. Arizona allowed 177 total yards and four touchdowns to 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey in Week 4 and 122 rushing yards to Cowboys RB Tony Pollard in Week 3. QB Joe Burrow must be better. He is averaging only 4.8 yards per passing attempt.
Cardinals’ keys to victory: What was the difference in their 28-16 win over the Cowboys in Week 3 and their 35-16 loss to San Francsco in Week 4? It was their red-zone defense. The Cardinals kept Dallas out of the end zone four times in five trips inside the 20. They allowed San Francisco to score touchdowns in all five of their red-zone trips. They need to start quickly like they did in the first three weeks of the season, leading at halftime in all three games, but they will struggle to win without a defensive takeaway. They didn’t have one vs. the 49ers.
Matchup to watch: Cardinals WR Michael Wilson vs. Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt. Wilson has nine receptions for 162 yards over his last two games and scored two touchdowns against the 49ers. Taylor-Britt has one pass breakup in four games and entering Week 4 had allowed a touchdown and a 102.1 passer rating when targeted.
Who wins? Arizona’s defense is having more success than Cincinnati’s struggling offense.
Cardinals 23-17